Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-02-21
"a oaths't GnammnQ 3
Ralnb- REYNOLDS Sacrifice.

II
Ralph Reynolds stood before thu
lcounter Of old Jim Skaters store will
la fiHe-dollar. bill grasped tightly il
his tli1rgy palm. Having attended
Ito several commissions for his moth
er, as shown by the small parcels
living before him, the all-importan1
purchase was vet to be made, anc
that was for himself alone. Ralph
had thought of it by day, and dream
ed of it by night for many month
and after two years of careful saw
ing he had at length obtained the
requisite sum to procure it.
You could not guess what this
coveted treasure was that had been
so long in anticipation, but when
you learn that Ralph had decided
taste for building, and was looking
earnestly forward to the time when
he could become an architect and
builder, you will not be surprised
that it was q box of tools he was
about to purchase.
One and another tool box was ia
ken from the shelf for the boys in
spection. Some were of cedar, some
of box wood, some of light wood,
and others of a darker grain. Oh,
how hard it was for him to choose.
But at length he had settled upon
| one in which the tools seemed better
than all the rest, and visions of the
wondrOus things to be accomplished
with them made his heart leap for
joy. Suddenly little child peeped
out from behind the counter and,
with a merry laugh, held up to Ralph's
admiring gaze real French
doll that cOnld move its limbs and
cry like a baby, too, and putting it
it carefully into Ralph's hands ran
quickly off and left it there. The
boy had never seen anything half so
beautiful, or in fact, anything of the
kind before. sob, if Tress could
only see this he said to himself.
Poor child She never owned a
doll in her life. Who knows but it
might cheer her up and help to make
her well again
Upon inquiry he found that both
articles would take the same amount of
money, and though he demonstrated
with himself many times the tempta
| ton was altogether too strong. Love
conquered, and almost before he
knew it, the tools were set aside, the
money laid on the counter, the doll
done up in a brown paper parcel,
| and carefully concealed beneath
Ralph's well-worn jacket to be
brought forth as a wonderful sur
prise upon his arrival at home.
How his young heart beat at the
thought of the dainty pink parcel
now lying so near it, and what pleas
ure it would give his little sister,
even if it were at the expense of his
own great sacrifice.
Reaching the door of their dwell
ing, at the head of a long flight of
steps, Ralph listens. Tress was
very i'll when he left home two hours
before she might be worse now, he
thought. He opened the door of the
inner room cautiously which served
rOr Il sIuIIng ana DeuroOm, ana Unere
his mother met him with her finger
upon her lips as he put the question
softly, Flows Tress now"
Every weak, my boy she an
swered, s'and the doctor does not
encourage me-"
is she awake, mamma" again
the boy questioned, he was in such
hurry, smiling to himself as he
spoke, at the thought that perhaps
his medicine might possibly cure
when the doctors had failed.
Just then weak little voice in
quired, lis that Ralphy? Has he
come p How her brothers heart
thrilled at the question.
eyes, Tress, dear, and I've
brought somebody to cure you, too,
and to stay just as long as you want
I'm coming, Tress, and he crept soft
ly behind the curtain where the child
lay, until he was on his knees, by
the side of her cot. But the poor
child as yet could see nothing. A
moment more, and Ralph had pulled
from his jacket the brown paper par
eel. Its an awful tight string,
amt it, Tress? Never mind, brother
will cut it, and then well see,''
In another half minute, the wrap
per was off, and there was the little
French beauty in her dress of pink
silk, tiny pink slippers and white
clicked stockings. But when Ralph
made the doll cry, little Tress grew
ashy pale, never had she seen such
wonder. AT first she was very shy
of the newcomer, but after a while
she pressed it to lips, for if it could
talk, she was sure it must feel just
as she did.
But where are the tools, Ralph"
his mother questioned, when they
were alone. The boy gave a sudden
start, showed her his empty purse,
but did not answer. "You surely"
but as she looked in the boys eyes,
the truth at once coming into her
mind, she changed her sentence. ''Oh,
my boy, you're not to be trusted
How could you spend all that money